Terms of endearment: Bacteria meet graphene nanosurfaces

Microbial multidrug resistance poses serious risks in returning the human species into the pre-antibiotic era if it remains unsolved. While conventional research approaches to combat infectious diseases have been inadequate, nanomaterials are a promising alternative for the development of sound antimicrobial countermeasures. Graphene, a two-dimensional ultra-thin nanomaterial, possesses excellent electronic and biocompatibility properties, which position it in the biotechnology forefront for diverse applications in biosensing, therapeutics, diagnostics, drug delivery and device development. Yet, several questions remain unanswered. For instance, the way these nanosurfaces interact with the microbial entities is poorly understood. The mechanistic elucidation of this interface seems critical to determine the feasibility of applications under development. Are graphene derivatives appropriate materials to design potent antimicrobial agents, vehicles or effective diagnostic microsensors? Has the partition of major microbial resistance phenotypic determinants been sufficiently investigated? Can toxicity become a limiting factor? Are we getting closer to clinical implementation? To facilitate research conducive to answer such questions, this review describes the features of the graphene-bacterial interaction. An overview on paradigms of graphene-microbial interactions is expected to shed light on the range of materials available, and identify possible applications, serving the ultimate goal to develop deeper understanding and collective conscience for the true capabilities of this nanomaterial platform.